Railway spike



Jan. 12,1926. 1,569,115

K. P. BRANDT RA-ILWAY SPIKE Filed May 12 1924 amulet 5 a d M f f B f 1??? y K 4 1 1 a a. 6 6 9 a M 3 f Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

UNITED STATES KUNIBERT P. BRANDT, 0F ORISKA, NORTH DAKOTA.

RAILWAY SPIKE.

Application filed May 12, 1924. Serial No. 712 860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KUNIBERT P. BRANDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oriska, in the county of Barnes and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Spikes, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates particularly to railway spikes and has for its prime object to generally improve upon driven fastenings so as to provide a simple and effioient structure including means for preventing accidental displacement of the fastener after having been driven in place.

An important object of this invention is to provide a railway spike of substantially the ordinary conformation having embodied therein independent operable means for preventing the accidental displacement of the spike from the railway tie.

A further object of the invention is to provide a railway spike having its vertically pointed end bifurcated and constructed with independent operable means for spreading intermediate portions of the bifurcations.

\Vith the above and other objects in view, the invention comprises certain other novel constructions, combinations and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter fully de scribed and claimed.

in the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view of the spike embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is an edge elevation thereof, the lower portion being shown in section, and

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the spike.

Referring to the drawing in detail it will be seen that l designates the body of the spike provided at one end with the usual head 2 and at its other head with the pointed terminations 3. The pointed end of the spike is bifurcated by means of a slit 4 extending from an intermediate point 5 of the body 1 to the extremity of the pointed terminal 53. A longitudinally extending bore 6 is provided through the head 2 body 1 and terminal 3 as is clearly indicated in Figure 3. Particular attention is called to the construction of this bore it being noted that its diameter is the same from the head 2 to the point 7 and from this point 7 to the extremity of the p nted terminal the bore 1.3

tapered so as to be conical shaped as is indicated at 8. A pin 9 having the same contour and size as the bore 6 is normally disposed in the bore so that its tapered point end 10 is disposed in the tapered portion 8 of the bore.

Now when this spike is driven home in the tie the pin 9 in no way interferes with its operation. After the spike, however, has been driven home, any suitable instrument is engaged with the upper end of the pin 9 in the head 6 so that it may be driven clownwardly to substantially the position shown in Figure 2 so as to slightly separate the bifurcations formed by slit l thus bulging the intermediate portions of these bifurcations for efliciently locking the spike in place. Applicant is familiar with those railroad spikes using means for spreading bifurcated ends within the tie and he desires to distinguish his invention therefrom by calling attention to the fact that in its operation the wood of the tie is more evenly strained and not so greatly injured so that the lock provided by this invention is more eificient than those with which applicant is familiar.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed or sacriiicing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

A railway spike of the class described including an elongated body provided with a slit at one end to form bifurcations, said body provided with a longitudinally extending bore tapering from an .intermediate portion to the extremities of the bifurcations, and a pin of the same contour as the bore disposed therein so that it may be driven through the bore a comparatively short distance when the spike has been driven home in a tie to spread the bifurcations throughout their length, and thereby cause the latter to cling closely to that portion of the pin extending therethrough.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

KUNIBERT P. BRANDT, 

